Net device for smoke exhauster

ABSTRACT

A smoke exhauster includes a housing having one or more openings formed in a bottom plate and having three or more protrusion extended from the bottom plate and arranged around the opening of the housing, and one or more fan devices engaged in the housing. A net device includes an outer peripheral frame, an inner peripheral frame, and a number of ribs extended between the outer peripheral frame and the inner peripheral frame, the outer peripheral frame is detachably engaged with the protrusions for allowing the net device to be attached to the housing without fasteners. The protrusions each may include one or more notches for receiving the outer peripheral frame of the net device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a smoke exhauster, and more particularly to a smoke exhauster including a shielded net device detachably disposed in an inner portion thereof and arranged for allowing the net device to be easily and quickly and readily attached to or disengaged from the smoke exhauster without threading and unthreading fasteners.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Typical smoke exhausters comprise one or more openings formed in the bottom portion of an outer container or housing, and one or more motorized fan device engaged in the outer container or housing and disposed above the openings of the housing respectively for vacuuming purposes and for drawing smoke or exhaust air or gas out of the housing.

For protecting the motorized fan device, one or more net devices may be provided and attached to the outer container or housing and also disposed below the openings of the housing respectively for preventing greater particles or objects from being drawn into the motorized fan device and thus for preventing the motorized fan device from being damaged by the particles or objects.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,127 to Chiang et al. discloses one of the typical smoke exhausters including a notched ear for quickly attaching or mounting the net devices to the bottom portion of the outer container or housing and disposed below the openings of the housing respectively for protecting the motorized fan device.

The net devices are normally attached to the bottom portion of the outer container or housing and extended or exposed out of the outer container or housing. However, after use, grease or oil drawn by the motorized fan device may be attached to the net devices and the accumulated grease or oil attached to the net devices may have a good chance to drop down to the stoves and the cooking wares that are disposed above the stoves, such that the food to be cooked may also have a good chance to be contaminated by the dropped grease or oil.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional net devices for the smoke exhausters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a smoke exhauster including a shielded net device detachably disposed in an inner portion thereof and arranged for allowing the net device to be easily and quickly and readily attached to or disengaged from the smoke exhauster without threading and unthreading fasteners.

The other objective of the present invention is to provide a smoke exhauster including a net device disposed in an inner portion thereof for guiding and for collecting the grease or oil attached to the net device and for preventing the grease or oil attached to the net device from dropping down to the stoves.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a smoke exhauster comprising a housing including a bottom plate having at least one opening formed in the bottom plate, and including a first protrusion, a second protrusion and at least one third protrusion extended from the bottom plate and arranged around the opening of the housing, at least one fan device engaged in the housing and disposed above the opening of the housing, and a net device including an outer peripheral frame, an inner peripheral frame, and a number of ribs extended between the outer peripheral frame and the inner peripheral frame, the outer peripheral frame being detachably engaged with the first and the second and the third protrusions for allowing the net device to be attached to the housing without fasteners.

The first and the second and the third protrusions each include at least one notch formed therein for receiving and engaging the outer peripheral frame of the net device. The first and the second and the third protrusions are preferably equally spaced from each other.

The first and the second protrusions each include two notches formed therein, and the net device includes two net members having the outer peripheral frame received and engaged in the notches of the first and the second protrusions. The first and the second protrusions are preferably disposed opposite to each other.

The housing includes a peripheral swelling extended upwardly from the bottom plate for forming the opening of the housing, and the first and the second and the third protrusions are extended from the peripheral swelling.

The housing includes a peripheral groove formed in the peripheral swelling for forming an inner peripheral wall and an outer peripheral wall. The ribs of the net device are inclined downwardly and outwardly from the inner peripheral frame toward the outer peripheral frame.

The housing includes a casing having a lower panel secured to the bottom plate, and having the peripheral swelling extended upwardly from the lower panel of the casing for forming the opening of the housing.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a smoke exhauster in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial exploded view of the smoke exhauster;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the smoke exhauster;

FIG. 4 is a partial bottom plan schematic view of the smoke exhauster; and

FIG. 5 is a partial cross sectional view of the smoke exhauster, taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4, illustrating the inner structure of the smoke exhauster.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 1, a smoke exhauster 1 in accordance with the present invention comprises an outer container or housing 10 including an upper portion 1 or a rear portion 12 for attaching to various supporting surfaces (not shown), such as cabinets, kitchen hoods, wall members, or the like, and including a bottom plate 13 having an oil cup 14 attached to the lower rear portion thereof for collecting the grease or oil that may be drawn into the housing 10 by one or more motorized fan devices 80 that are conventionally attached or engaged in the housing 10 for vacuuming purposes and for drawing smoke or exhaust air or gas into and out of the housing 10.

For example, the housing 10 includes one or more openings 15 formed in the bottom plate 13 and arranged or disposed below the motorized fan devices 80 respectively for allowing the smoke or exhaust air or gas to be drawn into and out of the housing 10 via the openings 15 of the housing 10. The bottom plate 13 of the housing 10 is normally inclined downwardly and rearwardly for guiding and for collecting the grease or oil toward the oil cup 14. The structure or the configuration of the oil cup 14 is not related to the present invention and will not be described in further details.

As shown in FIGS. 2-5, the housing 10 includes a peripheral swelling 20 extended upwardly from the bottom plate 13 of the housing 10 for forming or defining the respective opening 15 of the housing 10, and includes a peripheral groove 21 formed in the peripheral swelling 20 for forming or defining an inner peripheral wall 22 and an outer peripheral wall 23. Alternatively, the housing 10 may include one or more casings 16 each having a lower panel 17 secured to the bottom plate 13 with such as fasteners (not shown) or by welding processes, and may have the peripheral swellings 20 extended upwardly from the lower panel 17 of the casings 16. The casings 16 each may include an outer peripheral fence 18 extended upwardly from the outer peripheral portion of the lower panel 17 and an outlet opening or port 19 for discharging the grease or oil, for example.

The housing 10 includes three or more pegs or protrusions 24, 25, 26 directly extended upwardly from the bottom plate 13 or the lower panel 17 of the casings 16 or extended upwardly from the outer peripheral wall 23 and preferably equally spaced from each other, and the protrusions 24, 25, 26 each include one or more notches 27 formed therein, such as formed in the inner portion thereof. For example, the protrusions 24, 25 are disposed opposite to each other or 180 degrees apart from each other, and each include two notches 27 formed therein and separated from each other by a middle spacer 28 (FIG. 2), the other protrusions 24, 25 are disposed around the outer peripheral wall 23 or disposed around the respective opening 15 of the housing 10.

A net device 30 includes an outer peripheral frame 31, an inner peripheral frame 32, and a number of spider arms or ribs 33 extended or secured between the outer peripheral frame 31 and the inner peripheral frame 32 for forming the net device 30. The outer peripheral frame 31 may be detachably received or engaged into the notches 27 of the protrusions 24, 25, 26 for allowing the net device 30 to be easily and quickly and readily attached to the protrusions 24, 25, 26 of the outer peripheral wall 23 of the housing 10 or the casing 16, or disengaged from the housing 10 or the casing 16 of the smoke exhauster 1 without threading and unthreading fasteners.

It is preferable that the net device 30 includes two or more sectors or sections or net members 34, 35, such as two half members or sections or net members 34, 35 in which the outer peripheral frame 31 of the net members 34, 35 may also be easily and quickly and readily attached to or disengaged from the notches 27 of the protrusions 24, 25, 26 of the outer peripheral wall 23 of the housing 10 or the casing 16 without threading and unthreading fasteners. The net device 30 includes a bore 36 formed therein and defined by the inner peripheral frame 32 and having an inner diameter greater than a lower fastener 88 of the motorized fan devices 80 (FIGS. 1, 5).

As best shown in FIG. 5, the spider arms or ribs 33 of the net device 30 are extended or inclined downwardly and outwardly from the inner peripheral frame 32 toward the outer peripheral frame 31 for guiding the grease or oil that is attached to the spider arms or ribs 33 of the net device 30 downwardly toward or into the peripheral groove 21 of the peripheral swelling 20 of the housing 10 or the casing 16 of the smoke exhauster 1, and then for allowing the grease or oil to flow out of the outlet opening or port 19 of the housing 10 or the casing 16 via such as a passage of the peripheral swelling 20 (not shown).

Accordingly, the smoke exhauster in accordance with the present invention includes a shielded net device detachably disposed in an inner portion thereof and arranged for allowing the net device to be easily and quickly and readily attached to or disengaged from the smoke exhauster without threading and unthreading fasteners, and for guiding and for collecting the grease or oil attached to the net device and for preventing the grease or oil attached to the net device from dropping down to the stoves.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

1. A smoke exhauster comprising: a housing including a bottom plate having at least one opening formed in said bottom plate, and including a first protrusion, a second protrusion and at least one third protrusion extended from said bottom plate and arranged around said at least one opening of said housing, at least one fan device engaged in said housing and disposed above said at least one opening of said housing, and a net device including an outer peripheral frame, an inner peripheral frame, and a plurality of ribs extended between said outer peripheral frame and said inner peripheral frame, said outer peripheral frame being detachably engaged with said first and said second and said at least one third protrusions for allowing said net device to be attached to said housing without fasteners.
 2. The smoke exhauster as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and said second and said at least one third protrusions each include at least one notch formed therein for receiving and engaging said outer peripheral frame of said net device.
 3. The smoke exhauster as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and said second protrusions each include two notches formed therein, and said net device includes two net members having said outer peripheral frame received and engaged in said notches of said first and said second protrusions.
 4. The smoke exhauster as claimed in claim 3, wherein said first and said second protrusions are disposed opposite to each other.
 5. The smoke exhauster as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing includes a peripheral swelling extended upwardly from said bottom plate for forming said at least one opening of said housing, and said first and said second and said at least one third protrusions are extended from said peripheral swelling.
 6. The smoke exhauster as claimed in claim 5, wherein said housing includes a peripheral groove formed in said peripheral swelling for forming an inner peripheral wall and an outer peripheral wall.
 7. The smoke exhauster as claimed in claim 6, wherein said ribs of said net device are inclined downwardly and outwardly from said inner peripheral frame toward said outer peripheral frame.
 8. The smoke exhauster as claimed in claim 5, wherein said housing includes a casing having a lower panel secured to said bottom plate, and having said peripheral swelling extended upwardly from said lower panel of said casing for forming said at least one opening of said housing.
 9. The smoke exhauster as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and said second and said at least one third protrusions are equally spaced from each other. 